[adamlavv]

Hey guys, I'm in the market for a Sierra but unsure wether to buy stick and build it or buy a pre modded one, pre modded seems to be better value for money and many are cheaper then stock cars. But then again stock cars seem to be in better condition, so what's your opinion, ranging 2 to 4 grand, cheers

[zukmeista]

If you buy a modded one, check everything over extremely thouroughly.

[SierraDan]

Stock, and then build it up. You feel good to know you built something to suit what you want to do and its all yours. Also you know what has been done to it so you can make sure things are done properly(unless youre a dodgy bugger ).
And you're more likely to find a stock sierra that hasnt been flogged out as opposed to a built one that has been abused in the bush.

[Rusho]

Pre modded you are potentially buying someone else's problems. Stocker you can build to what you want and you know what has and hasn't been done to it

[89_tintop]

I have bought both modded and unmodded before..

They both have there good and bad points.. I always seem to change my mind once I get a car as to how I want to mod it ..
Take my jimny.. Bought it with a 50mm lift and and 30s and I swore thats how it would stay... It is now in 235 with an 80mm lift..

Think hard about what you want and what you intend to use it for. As all modified cars I have purchased have all been changed in some way, so I was probably better off with a stock one and modified it right the first time.

As any car when purchasing.. Cheack absolutely everything. As even a stock car may be a POS

[zukmeista]

89_tintop wrote:

I have bought both modded and unmodded before..

They both have there good and bad points.. I always seem to change my mind once I get a car as to how I want to mod it ..
Take my jimny.. Bought it with a 50mm lift and and 30s and I swore thats how it would stay... It is now in 235 with an 80mm lift..

You put smaller tyres on

[adamlavv]

Yea I'm thinking stock , mostly as there's a good chance it hasn't been flogged, I'd probably just start with tyres and a small lift & go from there

[SierraDan]

2" and 31's!!!!

[christover1]

Best thing I did was buy my Vitara well modded, and well used.
Saved me a ton of time and money modding it up.
I still did my own mods, and changed some of previous owners mods.
But I think it was a good buy, and I trusted the seller.

You do need to make sure car is safely modded,
registerable etc, and 2nd hand stocker could be a lemon too.
Always a bit of an educated gamble buying 2nd hand

[mnemonix]

My last zook I bought stock. Really enjoyed modding it my way and knowing it was reliable.

My current zook I bought already modded, and have had to redo almost every single part of the car due to various dodgy jobs or worn parts.
It's probably cost me twice as much to fix the mods as it would have for me to do them from scratch with a stock car.

If you buy modded - buy VERY carefully.

[jdk81]

I bought my sierra, well modded (2" BL, 2" suspension lift, 6.5s, and 32" pedes, and some crapass bucket seats). It was also extremely well loved.
low km, well looked after (most mods done by a mechanic). Unfortunately the car had been rolled, which is why It seemed like no one wanted it.

I don't care about damage to it, and its low km and reliable. I got myself a bargain.
However, I have still modded it myself, and am in the process of changing mods to better suit my desired performance.

I looked very carefully, and got myself a great car.
My friend looked carefully, and ended up with a POS, its a real lemon.

My folks got a free stock drover which has less rust and is more reliable than his POS

[Gwagensteve]

christover1 wrote:

Best thing I did was buy my Vitara well modded, and well used.
Saved me a ton of time and money modding it up.
I still did my own mods, and changed some of previous owners mods.
But I think it was a good buy, and I trusted the seller.

You do need to make sure car is safely modded,
registerable etc, and 2nd hand stocker could be a lemon too.
Always a bit of an educated gamble buying 2nd hand

Serious question - What's left of the mods that came with the car though - an alloy bull bar, a 2" BL and a rear auto locker?... And how many issues have you had to sort from the cars previous use?

I don't doubt that your car was a good buy, and it is far cheaper to buy modded than stock and add all the mods, but you'd want to know exactly what you were buying.

Transfer gears, air lockers and EFI conversions (if well performed) are good things to buy already done. Seats, suspension work (if it's not bolt in) barwork.... meh whatever.

Steve.

[christover1]

Gwagensteve wrote:

Serious question - What's left of the mods that came with the car though - an alloy bull bar, a 2" BL and a rear auto locker?... And how many issues have you had to sort from the cars previous use?

I don't doubt that your car was a good buy, and it is far cheaper to buy modded than stock and add all the mods, but you'd want to know exactly what you were buying.

Transfer gears, air lockers and EFI conversions (if well performed) are good things to buy already done. Seats, suspension work (if it's not bolt in) barwork.... meh whatever.

Steve.

Came with a brilliant set of sliders

an already had a club sticker fitted

It is important to buy carefully for sure.

And yes most of us will change everthing anyway.

[shakes]

christover1 wrote:

And yes most of us will change everthing anyway.

Thats kind of a mute point. I find if I ever manage to own a car more than a couple of years, then I end up modding/changing the original round of upgrades I initialy done anyway. Be it because I've found a better way, or have justified spending more money on something.

[christover1]

shakes wrote:

christover1 wrote:

And yes most of us will change everthing anyway.

Thats kind of a mute point. I find if I ever manage to own a car more than a couple of years, then I end up modding/changing the original round of upgrades I initialy done anyway. Be it because I've found a better way, or have justified spending more money on something.

Good point, it is an on going evolution for sure.
My Sierra was never really finished.

[Teracis]

As much as I like my Zook coz the little mule has character!

If I knew what I know now, and had my time again, to save money and stuffing around I'd have waited and waited until I found a near perfect stocker and then just modded it myself.

Only because although I got mine for $4500 and it seemed like a good deal at the time, theres some stuff that needs fixing and it looked super clean and well looked after when me and my old man had a look at it (plus Zooks seemed to be getting hard to find even though I'd been looking for a month or two) once I got the thing home and started wheeling it and working on it, I've found lots of stuff that I should fix, but don't have the time or money to do at the moment. It will be fun when I do though, but would be cheaper and easier to do from scratch.

[christover1]

Strange how hard it is to remember what it came with

Being fitted with a snorkle may have saved me a few bucks.
Bull bar and driving lights helped.
Duraflares fitted may help with savings.
Body lift was a saving.
Extractors and exhaust sure helped.
Sliders saved money and my sills.
(Made by the G-Man and crew I believe)
Rear locker was a saving, though not a lot with Aussie Dollar now so good.
Can't think of much else,
but these few bits have saved me some time and money.